Running back Todd Gurley and right tackle John Theus picked up a couple of honors Thursday as both players were named to the SEC Coaches All-Freshman team.

Gurley, who led the Bulldogs in rushing with 199 carries for 1,260 yards, also scored 16 touchdowns to set a new Bulldog freshman record, surpassing the old mark of 15 held by Herschel Walker.

It's the second big honor in three days for Gurley, who on Tuesday was also named to the All-SEC first-team by the league's coaches.

Theus, meanwhile, started all 14 games for Georgia at right tackle. He was joined on the offensive line by Florida's D.J. Humphries, South Carolina's Brandon Shell and LSU's Vadal Alexander.

Gurley was joined in the backfield by Alabama's T.J. Yeldon.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

Murray, Frix honored

Quarterback Aaron Murray and senior snapper Ty Frix have been named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Division I football team, it was announced Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Murray and Frix are among 24 players selected to the second team.

The Capital One Academic All-America program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. This marks the fifth time two Bulldogs have earned the honor in the same year and the first time since Matt Stinchcomb and Kirby Smart in 1998. Georgia is the only SEC school with more than one representative on the 2012 Academic All-America team.

To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his current institution and be nominated by the sports information director.

Richt in Orlando

Head coach Mark Richt spent much of Thursday in Orlando where he visited with area recruits, plus took time to take part in a press conference at the Capital One Bowl.

There, Richt said his players - though still disappointed with last Saturday's loss in the SEC Championship - are excited about playing Nebraska on New Year's Day.

"I don't look at the bowl as a plan B, but plan A was to win (the SEC Championship) and play in the national championship. I think our guys like football. I think they like to play the game. I think they enjoy winning and I think they enjoy practicing," Richt said. "We have a lot of veterans on this team that came back for a special and to some degree it is a special year. We didn't quite get to the mountain top like we wanted to, but these guys still have a lot of pride and they want to go out here and leave our program on a high note and in a first-class manner."

The ability to showcase his program in recruiting-rich Central Florida is another benefit as well.

"Hopefully there are some young players in the area that watch the game and maybe get to come to the game in person to see us play and like what they see and get excited about Georgia," said Richt, who said he wants his players to enjoy themselves while they are in the Sunshine State.

"I like for our players to enjoy the bowl experience. I want to win and we're going to have our meetings and our practices set up to where we're going to get the work done that we need to get done," Richt said. "We try to get it done early enough in the day that they have the majority of the day to go enjoy the events. I don't mind them going out and having fun; I don't even look at it as a distraction. I look at it as a reward."